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Franc
Franc is a dog and a mercenary currently in the employ of the Asha Kingdom, and a master swordsman of significant renown, being the current master of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu school of swordsmanship. He's recognized by his personal , Vidohunir, a blade of the O Wazamono grade that has historically been passed down to each new head of his school, its presence in Franc's hand marks him as its successor. Due to his ability to displace the very air itself with the force and speed of his swordplay in order to create vacuum pockets, Franc has gained the moniker of The Windcutter.Pasture of Blades: Franc introduces himself as the Windcutter. Like all masters before him, Franc currently roams the world in search of worthy swordsmen to compete against, and other experiences that will test the mettle and versatility of his swordsmanship. Until such a time that he has managed to improve upon the ancient form and return to , where he might share his findings with the other disciples and in turn find someone to succeed him. Each such journey has been personal, with each master finding their way to hone themselves and complete their objective. Franc chose to hire himself out as a mercenary for those he felt had a loyal heart and good intentions. It was for this reason he offered his services to the Asha Kingdom for what might to many be considered a fairly trivial sum given his skill. Appearance Personality Abilities and Powers As the master of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu, Franc is its strongest practitioner and the mink meant to develop it further. This position also affords him a certain level of influence over its members, and he's a well-respected citizen of Zou. Franc's power is significant, and his skills are remarkable enough that during his extended skirmish against Oga Kaisei, the latter was unable to land a single hit against him, or even ruffle his yukata, as the mink proved himself capable of countering or negating his every attackPasture of Blades: The battle concludes without Franc having sustained the slightest injury, or been otherwise inconvenienced.. His speed is noted to be virtually peerless, usually far outpacing even experts of techniques such as , and often leaving several afterimages in his wake, with his movement sometimes being difficult to track even by the use of Kenbunshoku Haki.Pasture of Blades: Franc employs his overwhelming speed to consistently dictate the flow of the fight. Swordsmanship Franc is a master swordsman, renowned and respected even in the New World for his skill with a blade, being the current master of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu (鰻滔雷滑流, lit. "Swift Eel, Slippery Lightning Style") style of swordsmanship, which has been passed down throughout several generations of masters. With each master refining it further, honing the style in combat against masters of rivalling styles and disciplines, it used to be far more prevalent in the nation of , but its strict physical requirements and high difficulty have seen the number of its users dwindling steadily over the past few decades. It is customary for the master of each generation to embark on a journey to see the world and test their prowess with the Banto Raikotsu-ryu against the greatest swordsmen of their time, both to prove its mettle but also as a journey to develop it further by devising new techniques. Thus far thirty such methods, labelled as Idou (移, "Movement"), have been created and Franc is expected to develop at least two more, which will be adopted into the original style and shared with the rest of its practitioners. At its core Banto Raikotsu-ryu is a style that demands several things of its practitioners, including supernal speed, agility, extraordinary flexibility and limberness, but also a great deal of skill in using the power of Electro, cementing it as something that only minks can apply to the maximum extent. Being the current master of the style, and the mink meant to improve upon its fundamentals and prepare it for the next generation. Franc excels in all of these areas, being capable of unsheathing, attacking and resheathing his blade at such speeds that it looks as though his weapon never leaves its sheathPasture of Blades: Despite innumerable attacks, Franc's sword is never observed leaving his sheath., manifesting as a whirlwind of shearing blades around him at such an intensity that it even manages to displace the very air itself and create vacuumsPasture of Blades: The swordsman demonstrates his ability to create vacuums numerous times.. This distinct talent also serves as one of his most effective defences, as was best shown when Franc used these vacuums to protect himself against the shockwaves produced by Kaisei's mighty blows, while simultaneously negating his in the same vein.Pasture of Blades: Franc counters force-based shockwaves with vacuum pockets.Pasture of Blades: As vibrations cannot move through a vacuum, Franc's efforts to counter the shockwaves also countered the Hasshoken. Similarly, Franc's substantial flexibility allows him to bend at seemingly impossible angles and slip through defences with great ease. Often vanishing between opponents legs without them noticing to strike them from behind in short order, or evading even concentrated assaults similar to his high-speed techniques by bobbing and weaving in a wildly unpredictable manner, practically slithering through incoming attacks to strike at his adversary cleanly and effectively. This flexibility also forms the basis of many of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu's more powerful techniques, employing the practitioner's unique physiology in tandem with masterful swordplay and Electro. Movements *'Idō 1, Hiraiken' (避雷剣, Sword Sheltering Lightning): The first technique of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu is fittingly its simplest application, consisting of little more than an extremely fast flying slash with the addition of , which manifests as an arc of electricity, using the properties of lightning to enhance the speed of the initial slash greatly, while also increasing its power dramatically. Franc remarks that even this requires a great deal of training to achieve, even for minks. Experienced users have been known to employ the extreme limberness of their bodies to arc and hurl these lightning bolts at odd angles, and even manipulating its trajectory with complex manoeuvres, making an already difficult-to-evade technique highly unpredictable and flexible. Interestingly, the name of this technique is a pun on Lightning Rod, Hiraishin. Franc has also shown that Hiraiken can additionally be employed at close-range as a flurry of converging lightning blades.Pasture of Blades: Franc uses Hiraiken in conjunction with a high-speed attack to create three converging blades around Oga in an instant. :*'Idō 7, Hiraiken: Kyokkō' (避雷剣・極光, Sword Sheltering Lightning: Aurora): Undoubtedly one of the most visually distinctive of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu movements, the variation of Hiraiken known as Kyokkō combines the core principles of Sankai Nyoden with the already potent base technique in order to create a truly outstanding whole. By employing Electro along his blade even as he uses Iaido at extreme speeds, Franc can trace an ionised path in the air and then use that to create actual lightning bolts. Possessing of all the speed and power one would possess, but that powerful application is only the first step as Franc in the same simultaneous motion applies the combination of Soru and Electro together to ride the lightning bolt. As long as he has the time to trace such a path, Franc can essentially ride lightning whenever he desires to, enabling him to cross vast distances with little issue and even use lightning itself to strike down his foes. As a further testament to his speed and concentration, Franc is even capable of tracing multiple ionised paths at once, making the lightning bolt move in unpredictable ways to further cement it as a technique that is exceptionally difficult to avoid. Its name was chosen because most opponents only see a brief flash of light upon it being used. *'Idō 2, Sankai Nyoden' (三海如電, Three Oceans, Flashing Like Lightning): Perhaps the most distinctive movement in Franc's arsenal, Sankai Nyoden is oft practised and rarely mastered by disciples of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu, even though they are taught to apply its foundation early on, namely a special variant of technique, devised by the minks of Zou for their use. Being the master of his order, Franc is currently the only current disciple that can perform the Sankai Nyoden perfectly, a testimony to its difficulty. Sankai Nyoden is performed by the user dancing between three separate positions at such speeds that they appear to be in three places at the same time. Manifesting as eerily lifelike mirror images that move in tandem with the practitioner, so similar that eyes cannot tell them apart, and so entwined with the user that even Kenbunshoku Haki is of dubious use. In terms of misdirection, it is a valuable tool, and most applications end here, but Franc has mastered it to the point that he can maintain it continuously for several minutes at a time, and even weave in extremely swift attacks and other techniques in-between, making it his signature move, and one he employs in each fight.Pasture of Blades: Kaisei notes that he needs to disrupt the technique somehow, in order to directly target Franc. *'Idō 4, Senkyō Kūzan' (千叫空斬, Thousand Screams, Empty Slash): Speed and unpredictability are the premier focus of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu but within its arsenal are also a few movements designed for large-scale attacks, and among these Senkyō Kūzan is the one that sees the most frequent use, largely owing to the sheer visual spectacle of its execution. Through combining his extraordinary speed with his excellent technique, Franc unleashes innumerable attacks in the span of less than a second, peeling away the very air around a large area within reach of his blade, thus forming a large vacuum. Then he sheaths his bared weapon and lets the air reclaim its lost territory, manifesting as an implosion of tremendous kinetic force, which collapses upon all within the vicinity crushing them and tearing them asunder if they were fortunate enough to survive his bladework. While most past users have required being stationary while performing this application, Franc breaks the mould by demonstrating the ability to move as part of its use, often ending up reappearing in a spot some ways away from his adversary while the fractured air consumes them. *'Idō 6, Inazuma Muho' (稲妻夢歩, Flash of Lightning, Dream Step): Disciples of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu are presented with a range of different techniques and movements, most of whom are notable for being visually stunning in their own right, but among them it is often said that Inazuma Muho especially stands out for its flawless execution and elegance. By applying principles learned from mastering the Sankai Nyoden and Senkyō Kuzan, alongside achieving mastery over the unique high-speed technique employed by the order. The user performs an extremely simple yet immensely difficult manoeuvre, they step forward and pass by their adversary while unleashing slashes too fast to follow with one's eyes alone, without breaking the cadence of their steps the slightest. No part of the attack can be seen except an after-image that lingers in place afterwards, its proximity such that it seems as though the user of the Inazuma Muho had slipped through their opponent's body. Its speed is such that it is believed that only masters of Kenbunshoku Haki might be able to react to it properly, by seeing the future, and it is sometimes compared to the signature technique of of the Straw Hat Pirates, Hanauta Sancho. Electro Haki Franc was taught the lessons of early in his life, much earlier than most humans, largely due to the warrior culture of Zou, and to mould him into a proper student of the Banto Raikotsu-ryu, as the style of swordsmanship is best employed with Haki. Because of his early training and the decades of practice he's received, Franc is an exemplary practitioner of both forms of Haki, being lauded as an expert of the various types, owing to a combination of his unusually strong reserves and the strength behind even his more straightforward applications. When exerted, it has a distinctive lime-green lustre, a colour that represents some aspect of Franc's spirit as a fighter. Its also been noted to form unusual patterns around his body while in use, such as around his eyes when he employs the Color of Observation, or around his limbs when employing the Color of Armament. Busoshoku Haki Kenbunshoku Haki Kenbunshoku Haki is the shade of Haki that holds the greatest significance to the Banto Raikotsu-ryu as an art form, for in the past, its swordsmen struggled to maintain their offence in the midst of their high-speed movements. Kenbunshoku proved the eventual solution to this dilemma, with students of the style eventually being taught the fundamentals of Haki as part of their initial training. Something that proved to become a barrier of entry for many, as the Banto Raikotsu requires its disciples to practice from early adolescence, and mastering the basics of Haki during those stages is believed to be what determines the quality of a student. Franc was one of only three students who managed to awaken Kenbunshoku before his 14th year and has had three decades to master it and expand upon its use. Whereas before he required constant focus and concentration to keep up with his movement, now it is second nature to him. So exceptional is his skill with this shade that he applies it instinctively and naturally, employing it to enhance all of his already supremely acute senses to the point that if he desired it, he could hear the sound of a butterflies wingbeats and extend his sight miles beyond its limits. Time seems to slow down to his senses, and so Kenbunshoku allows him to not only respond to the attacks of others of similar speeds to himself but also make the most of every single instant and moment. It can be said of Franc that he has in large part managed to internalise Kenbunshoku Haki due to his vast experience within it. When employed with these levels of precision, and further refined by continual focus, Franc is even capable of seeing things that would ordinarily be impossible to witness by sight alone. Including being able to piece together seemingly inconspicuous details about an opponents appearance to draw far-fetched but yet blindingly accurate conclusions, as well as deduce the nature behind techniques and powers after only seeing them in use once or twice. Like others who have trained and mastered the Color of Observation, Franc too has the power of foresight and clairvoyance, being able to peer into the future with astonishing clarity and precision should he desire to, although this an ability he possesses, it is one rarely employed outside of unique circumstances or in exceptionally pressing situations. Its use signals to his adversary that Franc considers their fight a desperate struggle for his life. Weapons History Major Battles *Franc vs Ōga Kaisei - Inconclusive, Franc left. References Category:Male Characters Category:Mink Tribe Category:Mink Tribe Category:Swordsmen Category:Swordsmen Category:Busoshoku Haki Users Category:Kenbunshoku Haki Users